Jessica Anderson from Kiplinger's Personal Finance: If you're in the market for a new car, GM's loss could be your gain. Saturn's dealers have until the end of October 2010 to close, now that a deal has fallen through to sell the car line to the Penske Automotive Group. But many showrooms could close by January because inventory is low. That means the sooner you shop, the better your choices.

...2008 Saturn Outlook XR
2005 VUE Red Line
2002 L300 (sold)

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Saturn of Elmhurst closed today Rip.
As it was in the begining it is at the end.

There was no forewarning....never could get a clear answer out of anyone when this day would come....they knew....they knew when it was. Grand Ave. is so depressed, just watch 10 years from now...only Honda will be left. They'll take over the whole block like Long Chevrolet did.

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But who will service the SUV, and honor the warranty after Saturn Dealers close?

Mark

Any GM dealer. I was told to take my recently purchased Aura to the Cadillac dealer that purchased the remaining inventory from the Saturn dealer I bought my car from. But if I do ever need any warrenty work, I'll be taking it to a Buick/GMC dealer where a friend of the family is a service writer.

it's not the old days where Saturns were unique. They're now carbon copies of other GM vehicles.

+1
I still can't understand why anyone would want to buy a brand new vehicle from a defunct manufacturer unless the price was such that you couldn't say no, as in 50% of dealer cost.

Its thinking like that, that makes finding good deals easy for people like me. The manufactuer isnt defunct. Its still around and probably will be for a long time.

Saturns are copies of current GM models. I just bought an Aura. Its a twin of the Malibu, G6 and CTS. Plenty of dealer support and parts to be found. But people who dont know any better think its an orphan car. And I got a great deal because of it.

+1
I still can't understand why anyone would want to buy a brand new vehicle from a defunct manufacturer unless the price was such that you couldn't say no, as in 50% of dealer cost.

Saturn has not been a manufacturer since the S-Series, L-Series, ION, and original VUE. The current Saturn is a brand that has "Saturn" versions of other GM/Opel products. GM is not defunct. getting my SC2 serviced after the Saturn retailers are closed will be tricky since they didn't share anything with other divisions of GM. at least the 4-cylinder L-, ION and VUE had ecotec engines.

Its thinking like that, that makes finding good deals easy for people like me. The manufactuer isnt defunct. Its still around and probably will be for a long time.

Saturns are copies of current GM models. I just bought an Aura. Its a twin of the Malibu, G6 and CTS. Plenty of dealer support and parts to be found. But people who dont know any better think its an orphan car. And I got a great deal because of it.

Enjoy your "good deal." Getting parts is only one part of the equation. The poor resale value is going to be a lifelong issue (which isn't a problem if you're going to keep it until the second coming). The forums are already peppered with owners who are getting the runaround from GM dealers about servicing their Saturn. That might get better when Saturn is officially dead for good....or it might not. I don't think I'd be willing to take that risk myself.

Ho ho ho!

...All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts, but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. -Frank Herbert-

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Enjoy your "good deal." Getting parts is only one part of the equation. The poor resale value is going to be a lifelong issue (which isn't a problem if you're going to keep it until the second coming). The forums are already peppered with owners who are getting the runaround from GM dealers about servicing their Saturn. That might get better when Saturn is officially dead for good....or it might not. I don't think I'd be willing to take that risk myself.

Ho ho ho!

in this case, what if Auras are just as easy (if not moreso) to work on as the S-series?

I know it's 2009, going into 2010, and most places made it harder for people to work on cars (save for dealers and garages) but still...

in this case, what if Auras are just as easy (if not moreso) to work on as the S-series?

Scenario: You take your Aura in to your local Chev dealer for warranty work. Who will get looked after sooner, the dealer's own Chev customers or you with your orphaned Saturn?
Parts required? Oh, we don't stock any Saturn parts. That'll be next week from the Saturn parts warehouse in (fill in whatever state you want).
Loaner? Sorry, you're not our customer.
Trade in value? Oh man, those Saturns have taken a nosedive as they're no longer being made or sold. Sorry.

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I would call the Aura/Malibu 4 cylinder engine much easier to work on than the S engines.
Ever change the oil and filter on the S? Whoever designed the location of the oil filter should be sent to the Gulag. The Ecotec cartridge filter set the bar for ease of changing.
Brakes are brakes so no difference there. Changing coolant pretty much the same for both.
The V6 Aura is an entirely different kettle of fish and I have no experience with that engine so I can't comment.

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